Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/05/02/2558918.htm?section=australia
WA issues measles warning for plane travellers
Posted 10 minutes ago
Western Australia's Health Department has warned passengers on an Emirates flight into Perth on Tuesday may have been exposed to measles.
The warning comes after two small children aboard flight EK 420 from Dubai were diagnosed with the disease.
Department spokesman Gary Dowse says measles has been eliminated in Australia, and it is important to act quickly to avoid an outbreak.
Dr Dowse says symptoms include fever, aching muscles, runny nose, sore throat, watery sore eyes, and a blotchy rash.
"For people that are not immune to measles, it's possible that they may develop the illness over the next couple of weeks," he said.
"It's important that if they start to get the symptoms of measles that they isolate themselves at home and don't expose other people, and that they ring a doctor and arrange in advance to be seen."
He says this is the fourth case diagnosed this year in WA, in the last few years all cases have originated overseas, including the latest infection.
"They'd been in the United Kingdom where we know there's an outbreak of measles at the moment because of, unfortunately, low immunisation rates," he said.
"So measles is circulating in the UK, these children were unimmunised and they caught the infection there."
WA issues measles warning for plane travellers
Posted 10 minutes ago
Western Australia's Health Department has warned passengers on an Emirates flight into Perth on Tuesday may have been exposed to measles.
The warning comes after two small children aboard flight EK 420 from Dubai were diagnosed with the disease.
Department spokesman Gary Dowse says measles has been eliminated in Australia, and it is important to act quickly to avoid an outbreak.
Dr Dowse says symptoms include fever, aching muscles, runny nose, sore throat, watery sore eyes, and a blotchy rash.
"For people that are not immune to measles, it's possible that they may develop the illness over the next couple of weeks," he said.
"It's important that if they start to get the symptoms of measles that they isolate themselves at home and don't expose other people, and that they ring a doctor and arrange in advance to be seen."
He says this is the fourth case diagnosed this year in WA, in the last few years all cases have originated overseas, including the latest infection.
"They'd been in the United Kingdom where we know there's an outbreak of measles at the moment because of, unfortunately, low immunisation rates," he said.
"So measles is circulating in the UK, these children were unimmunised and they caught the infection there."